My Kind of Football, Your Kind of Football
by myblueworld
Summary: Will took Nico to watch a football game. Nico said he didn't get it. The next day, Will and Nico watched Nico's kind of football. Will kind of got it, but to be honest, he was too busy watching Nico.
1. Chapter 1

"Tell me again what is it that you want me to do?"

"I just want some moral support, okay Neeks? This would be the first time for me to meet the man that my mother is currently dating. I don't want to be alone there, sitting awkwardly in front of someone who has a possibility to be my step dad."

"Will. Do you really think _I_ can make things less awkward?"

"Okay, maybe not. But I know for sure that you being there will make me feel better."

"Pffft…"

"Is that a yes?"

"Will…"

"Nico, please, darling."

"You know I hate it when you _purposefully_ use that accent."

"I only use it because you love it."

"You only use it if you want something from me."

"Please?"

"You're lucky that you're my boyfriend."

"Ah, that is a _yes_ , then."

 **-o0o-**

Two days after that conversation, Will held Nico's hand, and let Nico lead him into the shadow. They walked out under the shadow of a tree in front of Will's house in Tennessee.

Naomi did not really understand the concept of shadow travel. But she was happy enough to know that it meant Will was home that Friday morning. She was even happier that Nico was tagging along with Will. Probably because Nico was good in cooking, and helped her a lot in the kitchen to prepare the dinner. And when this James guy finally came, Naomi proudly introduced Nico as Will's lovely boyfriend who was visiting for the weekend.

Will chuckled as Nico's face turning into scarlet. He quickly held Nico's wrist, squeezing it a little.

"Looks like I am the only one needing moral support here," Nico muttered as they followed Naomi and James to the dining room.

Will placed a quick kiss on Nico's temple. "It's not my fault that my mom loves you," he said. "You're just too adorable."

The dinner itself was nice. At least not as awkward as Will thought it would be. James was a nice person, friendly without being overly talkative. It's easy for Will to see why his mother was smitten with him. And from the way James was looking at Naomi so warmly, well…

Let's just say that Will was not against the idea that his mother was dating this middle-age man who worked as a system analyst. Especially since his mother looked happier than the last time Will saw her.

"So you're staying for the weekend?" James asked as he cut another piece from the remaining meat on his plate.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "We'll head back to the camp on Sunday, maybe late afternoon."

If James found it something unusual to go to a camp in the middle of a school year, he said nothing about it.

"Any plan for tomorrow?"

Will shrugged his shoulder. "Nothing in particular,"

"You know," James said, paused to take a sip of water. "I have two tickets for a football game tomorrow. It's a home game against Tulsa."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

James smiled. "Yeah. My son, Phil, he's in the team. I can't make it to his game tomorrow but as I said, I have two tickets."

James placed his silverware on the now-empty plate neatly. "So maybe you and your boyfriend want to go?"

"Oh, that sounds cool!" Will's eyes lit up. He turned his head to Nico. "What do you say, Nico?"

Nico was staring at James, with something that looked like a mild interest.

"Your son plays football?"

James nodded with a fond proud smile. "Yeah. He's actually a quarterback."

For a moment, Nico looked lost. "Quarterback?" he said, looking confused. But a second later, Nico's mouth rounded into an _O_.

"Oh," he said. "You mean… American football."

Will chuckled. He nudged Nico lightly as Nico looked back to his plate. "What do you think he was talking about?"

Nico flashed a glance at Will. "I thought James was talking about _real_ football."

From the other side of the table, James laughed. "Ah, Yes. I forgot that you're Italian. You guys take football seriously, don't you?"

"Oh, you mean soccer?" Will looked from Nico, to James, and back to Nico again.

Nico made a small huffing sound. "Yeah. Soccer."

"I used to play soccer, you know, when I was much younger."

"Really?" Nico looked up again from his plate.

James nodded. "Yeah. I was a midfielder."

Will nudged Nico's shoulder again. "So, what do you say?"

Nico shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. Sure. Sounds fun."

Will grinned and looked at James. "Thank you, James. We'll take the tickets!"

 **-o0o-**

It took an hour driving from Will's house for them to get to the stadium in Memphis. Once they arrived in the stadium, they joined other people who were walking into the stadium. Will was excited. He was not a fanatic fan of football, but it has been years since the last time Will watched a football game live. It was a warm sunny day, and the excitement from other people in the stadium was contagious. There was just something about the atmosphere of watching a game live in the stadium that was incomparable than watching it from TV.

"Is it your first time watching a football game?" Will asked as they were trying to find their seats.

"Uh huh," Nico hummed. "And since you were the one dragging me here, you have the responsibility to teach me about it."

Will laughed. They sat on the bench. The tickets that James gave to them were quite good. They got seats that gave them pretty good view of the field.

Will watched Nico who was gazing around the field and the stadium.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Will asked.

Nico brushed away some hair from covering his eyes. "Are those the goal posts?" He asked, pointing at the yellow posts at the end of the field.

"Yeah, those are the goal posts."

Nico stared at Will, looking positively confused. "So…the goalkeeper would stand… there? Or what? Like… How would he even stop the ball?"

Will scratched the back of his ear. "Uh. I don't think there's a goalkeeper."

If it was even possible, Nico looked even more confused.

"So. No goalkeeper?"

"No," Will said, shaking his head. "No goalkeeper."

"So,…like… who would prevent the other team from scoring? You do have some defense right?"

"Yeah, we do have defense, Neeks. "

"Okay," Nico said, nodding but didn't look less confused than before. "And… strikers?"

Will laughed. "Defense, yes. But no, no strikers."

"Who would score then? Do the defense line also doing the attack? Or... like... you have attacking midfielders instead of a pure striker?"

"Well, usually the one who scores are quarterback."

Again, Nico had a totally blank clueless expression.

"Quarterback," he said, repeating Will's word, as if saying it by himself would help himself to understand the meaning of the word.

Will nodded. "Yeah, so in the game, there is a defensive unit, and then there is also the offensive unit."

"Okay, offensive unit. So they are the one doing the attack?"

Will hummed. "Correct. The offensive unit consists of quarterback, halfback, and fullback."

Nico's brows furrowed down. "If all of them are playing on the back, then why they are the attacking players?"

Will sighed and ran a hand over his head. "You know what, Neeks? Let's wait until the game starts. It will be easier to understand when you watch it."

 **-o0o-**

Judging from Nico's questions during the game, no, it was not easier to understand.

 **-o0o-**

"I don't get it."

"That's a foul? Why it's a foul?"

"I don't understand."

"OH! It's a foul! Is he going to get a yellow card for that?"

"What do you mean no cards?'

"It doesn't make sense."

"ANOTHER time-out?"

"Oh, now they can kick the ball?"

"Why it's just goal posts? Why no net?"

"Touch down? What's a touch down? They literally touching the ball all the time!"

"It doesn't make sense."

"So that… that guy over there just scored? Who gave him the assist?"

"20 seconds left and another time-out? Ridiculous."

"I. Just. Don't. Get it."

 **-o0o-**

A few hours later, Nico and Will were cuddling on the couch together. Naomi had gone to bed half an hour ago, letting the two boys watching The Pirates of The Carribean on TV.

"So," Will said as he softly raked his fingers through Nico's hair whose head was resting comfortably against Will's chest. "How do you like it? The football game?"

"Well," Nico said, and paused. Will looked down at Nico. Nico had his eyes fixed on the TV, but he looked like he was contemplating answer. Nico sighed.

"It was... different," he finally answered, sounding a bit wary.

Will chuckled lightly, and leaned to kiss Nico's temple. "Different from what?" He asked teasingly.

Nico huffed and frowned a little, which only made Will laughed softly and kissed the tip of his nose.

"From the kind of football you usually watch?"

"Well, the kind of football I usually watch is the real kind of football," Nico said stubbornly.

Will laughed again, and buried his face on Nico's soft hair.

"Thanks for going with me, though."

Nico mumbled something that Will didn't really catch.

"Sorry that it wasn't that enjoyable for you," Will said.

"it's okay," Nico said. "I'm with you anyway. It makes everything much better."

It's been a year since they're dating and yet, that kind of thing that Nico just said never failed to make Will's heart do a little happy dance.

For a while, the only noises were the ones coming from the TV. Will kept on playing with Nico's hair.

"Hey, Nico?"

"Hm?"

"Since you went with me to watch my kind of football, why don't we watch your kind of football together?"

Nico didn't instantly say anything to that. But Will could feel his body got tense for a second. Then Nico flipped around so he was facing Will.

"You really want to?"

Will flicked the tip of Nico's nose as he grinned. "Yeah. I don't think there's any soccer game happening around here. But maybe we can find something on TV-"

"My team is playing tomorrow!" Nico said, cutting Will's sentence as he quickly sat up. "I think it will be on TV but if not, we can find a stream online. Chiara told me this site that we can use to search for some online stream."

Will stared at Nico, amused by how Nico's expression suddenly just lit up with excitement.

"Yeah, sure," Will said. "And by your team, you mean-"

"Milan!" Nico said. "They are playing against Roma tomorrow. I think it's at noon. Yeah, I am pretty sure it's at noon."

Will nodded. "Okay," he said, ruffling Nico's hair. "We'll watch it tomorrow, then."

Nico grinned and pressed a quick kiss on Will's cheek.

"Oh, I'm so excited," Nico said, and went back to his position, half-laying with his head resting on Will's chest.

"Yeah," Will said, and kissed the top of Nico's head. "Should be fun, right?"

 **-o0o-**

There were still around 15 minutes before the game started, but Nico was already restless like he was bursting out with some energy from nervousness and excitement. Will watched in amusement as Nico shifted around on the couch where he was sitting.

"Nico, relax, they haven't even started yet," Will said.

"Shut up Will, I wanted to see the line-up," Nico said, and leaned forward, keeping his eyes at the TV screen. His mouth moved silently as he read the names showing up on the screen.

A few moments later, Nico let out a sigh as he leaned back against the couch. He rubbed his face with both hands.

"What is it?"

Nico shook his head. "It's a…decent line up. I am happy that Silva is starting but I really prefer having Cutrone instead of Calhanoglu alongside him. Well, at least Bonucci and Romagnoli are starting, which is good since they have Dzeko. And with Kolarov just joined Roma I have a feeling that Dzeko will become even more dangerous."

Despite the fact that he only understood about twenty percent from what Nico just said, Will nodded.

"Oookay?"

Nico didn't seem to hear him though, as he was now staring back at the TV, looking almost transfixed. Mimicking him, Will turned his head to the TV. The players were walking out now, each of them were walking with a kid next to them.

"Oh, is that their kids? They're so cute!" Will exclaimed.

"Huh? No, they're just the mascots but sometimes some players bring their own kid or niece or whatever," Nico said without taking his eyes off the screen.

"Which one is your team?"

"The one in red and black. Now shut up, Will, and let me watch the game."

Apparently, Will supposed to shut up, so Nico could shout out to the screen.

"Kessie, what do you think you're doing?" Nico shout out as he threw his hands in the air dramatically.

"Uhm… Nico?"

"What?" Nico snapped at Will. He shot a glare at Will before looking back at the TV.

"I don't think they can hear you?" Will said, trying not to laugh.

Nico glared at him again. "What's your point?"

Will raised his hands up and shook his head lightly. "Nothing. Just saying, you know."

Nico didn't seem to care, or even hear him, as he already shout out to the TV screen, and this time he even jumped off the couch to stand up.

"That is a clean tackle! It's not a foul!" He shouted, hands moving frantically in the air.

The game looked exciting. But Will found that watching Nico's reaction during the game was more entertaining.

" _Quello NON È fall!_ "

"Oh gosh Borini can you just do your job?"

" _Stupido arbitro_."

"Oh gods no please no please no please- THANK YOU BONUCCI!"

" _Quello era fuorigioco!_ It's an offside by a mile you stupid- Oh good you know your job."

"Come on Andre you can do it you can do it you-"

"ARGH. SO. DAMN. CLOSE!"

" _Cartellino giallo? Come cartellino giallo?! Non l'ho neanche toccato!_ "

It was at the second half of the game, when someone finally scored. Someone with the white shirt kicked the ball right into the net. Considering the distance from the goal posts, Will assumed that it must have been a great goal.

A great goal or no, Nico's groan showed that he hated it.

"I knew it! I fucking knew it that it's going to be Dzeko!"

The camera was now shooting the players who just scored in a close up, who beamed a smile and wow, he was quite a good looking guy.

"Wow! He's ho-"

Will was cut mid-sentence when he saw another guy, arms full with tattoo just ran to the goal scorer, pulled him into his arm and kissed his cheek so passionately.

Will blinked.

"Did you see that?" Will turned his head to Nico and back to the TV again. But the screen already showing a replay of the goal.

"What? The goal? Yeah. A great goal. Hate it but I have to admit, that one was quite a goal," Nico said. The frown on his face clearly showed how he felt about the goal.

"No no no!" Will shook his head. "Did you just see that other player? The one with the tattoo? HE JUST WENT STRAIGHT KISSING THE GOAL SCORER."

Nico didn't even bother to look at Will. "Oh. Yeah. Kolarov."

"Is he the one who scored the goal?"

"Kolarov? No. He's the guy with tattoos. Dzeko is the one who scored."

"That goal scorer is _hot_."

This time, Nico slowly turned his head to Will and stared at him incredulously. "You do realize that _he_ , just scored _agains_ t my team, right?"

Will scratched the back of his ear, and grinned. "Uhm. Yeah?"

Nico still stared at him with that glare.

"But…but…he's hot!" Will said, trying not to laugh.

Nico sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Will. Just. Shut. Up."

 **-o0o-**

Five minutes later, AC Milan conceded another goal.

Fifteen minutes later, Nico announced that he couldn't watch the game anymore.

He kept on watching anyway.

Thirty minutes later, the game ended.

Nico pressed the button to turn off the TV and threw the remote control to the couch. Sulking, he leaned back against the couch. He pulled his knees to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them.

"I hate football," he said.

Will laughed and pulled Nico closer to him. Nico was still pouting, but leaned against Will's side.

"Do you?" Will asked teasingly.

"I hate football. Football is cancelled," Nico said.

"What about your team? Do you also hate them?"

"My team? What team? I don't know any team," Nico said and huffed.

Will rubbed Nico's arm and kissed the top of his head.

"Oh, really?"

Nico didn't answer him.

"When will they play again?"

"Next week would be the International Break. You know, World Cup Qualification games. Some of the players will be called up for their National Team. But then the week after…" Nico paused.

He looked up at Will with a horrified expression. "Oh my God! I forgot that it would be Derby della Madonnina!"

Will raised his brows up in confusion. "Meaning?"

"It's the _Derby di_ Milano! My team will be playing against that other team… Oh gosh!" Nico groaned again as he ran both hands over his face.

"Are you going to watch it?"

"Of course! Chiara and me plan to watch it together, even though Chiara has literally made the worst decision in her life by supporting that other team."

Will still had no idea who was _that other_ team. But considering that Nico still looked upset, he decided that it would be a question for another time.

"I thought you said you hate football?" Will asked, a small grin played on his lips.

Nico groaned again as he buried his face against Will's chest. He shifted a little so the side of his head was leaning on Will's chest.

"You really have no idea about how hard it is to be a football fan, don't you?" Nico said, half-grumbling. "We hate our team but we just can't stop loving them."

Will laughed and wrapped his arms around Nico. He pressed a kiss on Nico's temple.

"Why do I feel like you were talking about what you feel about me?"

Nico made a small gruntling noise. "You know I can never hate you, Will."

"Even though I order those green salad for you in McDonalds?"

Nico hit Will's chest lightly but Will knew, he could feel that Nico had a small smile on his lips.

"Well," Nico said. He put a hand on Will's chest and looked up at Will. There was a faint blush of colors on his cheeks, but his dark eyes were smiling as they were staring at Will from beneath the thick eye-lashes. "But yeah, I don't think I can stop loving you."

"Good," Will said. He closed the small distance between their faces by pressing a soft kiss on Nico's lips. He pulled back a bit and pressed his forehead gently against Nico's. "Because I totally can't stop falling in love with you."

 **-o0o-**

* * *

Notes:

1\. Comments and feedback are always welcome :D. Tell me what you think about it here or meet me on Tumblr: thebluesideofmyworld.  
2\. Translations: " _Quello NON È fall_!" : That is NOT a foul! - " _Stupido arbitro_.": Stupid referee - _"Quello era fuorigioco_!" :That was offside! -" _Cartellino giallo? Come cartellino giallo?! Non l'ho neanche toccato!_ ": A yellow card? What do you mean a yellow card? He didn't even touch him!  
3\. The game of AS Roma vs AC Milan was indeed ended up with a 2-0. And yes, Edin Dzeko scored the first goal. It was a great goal, really. And yes, Edin is...pretty attractive. Seriously.


	2. Chapter 2

Instead of sitting in the Apollo table today when they were having lunch, Nico and Will decided to sit on the Hades table. It didn't seem to be an issue any longer anyway for Chiron. Especially in this time of the year, when the one left in the cabin were just the all-year round campers.

Will was eyeing the way Nico studied his plate.

"Just eat it, Nico."

"Will, is it just me or the amount of this …green stuff here," he said, poking some lettuce on his plate with his fork. "Suddenly they just kind of… strangely increased?" he asked, lifting his head up to shoot a slightly accusing look at Will.

"What do you mean?" Will said, trying to put on his best innocent look.

"I am pretty sure that when I left to get some drink, I didn't have this much of _leaves_ on my plate."

"It's vegetables, Nico! Not leaves!"

"Will-"

"Nico!" Chiara Benvenuti's voice made the two of them turned their head. Chiara was walking towards them, holding a tray with her food and drink on it. Damien White walked just one step behind her, slightly smiling.

"Chiara!" Nico waved at her. "Ready for Friday?"

Chiara put her tray on the table. "You bet I will. I just hope that Spain fucked up so we had better chance to win the group."

"I know, right?" Nico threw his hands in the air dramatically. The two Italians started to speak in Italian, along with some rapid hand gestures.

"Fascinating, huh?" Damien said. He apparently took a seat next to Will when he was too busy watching Nico and Chiara in amazement.

"Huh?" Will turned his head to look at Damien. "Yeah. It's just… Fascinating."

Of course, Damien did not need to know that Nico talking Italian like that made him look even more attractive for Will.

Something that Nico said last weekend when they were at Will's house flashed back in Will's mind. Will turned his head back to Damien.

"Are they talking about.. that…" Will moved his hand in vague circles, trying to remember the exact words that Nico said. "Uh… derby? Something about… Milan?"

"Oh, the Milan Derby?"

"Yes! Yes! That's the one!" Will nodded.

Damien tilted his head a bit to the left, eyeing the piece of meatballs in his fork.

"Nahh…. I don't think so," he said, and ate his meatball. "I am pretty sure that they are talking about the World Cup Qualifier."

"Oh," Will nodded, even though he wasn't really sure that he got it. "Okay."

"The derby is next week. Now, _that_ would be interesting," Damien said.

Will chuckled. "Yeah, Nico and me, we watched a game of Nico's team playing last weekend. But honestly, it's more like I was watching him watching the game."

Damien laughed. "Did he scream to the players?"

"Not always. Only like, for ninety percent of the game."

"Chiara is also like that. I need to make sure that she won't have anything that she can throw at the laptop whenever we are watching a game."

"Nico said he couldn't watch the game anymore after his team conceded a second goal, but he kept on watching anyway."

Damien snorted. "Did he say he hates his team after the game?"

"Chiara does it too?"

"Oh, you bet she does. But whenever anyone said anything bad about her team, she could barely hold herself from decapitating them."

Will glanced at Chiara, who was shaking her head furiously at something that Nico just said. He looked back at Damien.

"Yeah. I can definitely see that. I am pretty sure Nico is the same way."

"Chiara is feeling good about that upcoming derby, though. Inter is indeed, doing quite well at the moment."

Will's brows furrow down as some creases formed between them. "Inter?"

"Her team. Inter Milan."

"Oh! And… Like… it's the…rival team of Nico's team?"

Damien nodded. "Yep. Nico is AC Milan."

"Yeah. I kind of remember that one."

"I think that Inter is third at the table now. And Milan is like… Fifth? Or is it sixth now?"

Will stared at Damien for a moment as he continued eating.

"I didn't know you're in to soccer."

Damien looked up at Will. "What? Me?"

Will nodded.

Damien shrugged his shoulder. "Well, not really. I mean, before Chiara and I started dating, I knew next to nothing about soccer."

"Just like me, I guess."

Damien chuckled. "Yeah," he said, and stopped to drink from his cup. "But you know, since soccer is something that Chiara is so fond of, I started to find out more about it."

Will raised an eyebrow at him. "You did?"

"Uh huh," Damien nodded. "I mean, just look at them!" He gestured to the Italians who were still deep in their conversation. "Don't you just love it? How they talked about it so passionately?"

Will stared at the sight in front of him. The way Nico's eyes looked brighter. Nico was not usually big on facial expression. But right now, his face was painted with expressions that came from his eyes, the quirks of his eyebrows, the twitching of his lips, and all those hand movements as if Nico was also talking through those gestures he was making. His cheeks were even slightly tinted with bright colors. There was just something so different about Nico. He looked more vibrant, more _alive_.

Will turned his head to Damien.

"Yeah," he said, nodding with a small fond smile on his face. "I think I know what you mean."

"So," Will said as he and Nico were walking together out of the dining pavilion. "You and Chiara… have a game to watch this Friday?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah. For World Cup Qualification," he said. "Italy will play against Macedonia."

He sighed and ran a hand over his head. "Oh gods, I hope they win. They really need to win this time. That game with Spain was a disaster."

Will nodded, making a quick mental note to learn more about this World Cup thing. He vaguely remembered that it was a big thing in soccer that happened every like…4 years or something?

"Is your favorite player going to play?" Will asked.

"Of course. I don't think we a better option for a goalkeeper other than Buffon himself."

 _Buffon_. Will added that name to the what-to-learn list.

"So…he's like…playing for your team?"

Nico looked up to glance at Will.

"Buffon? Oh… no.. Unfortunately, no. But Gigi Buffon is like… one of the legends in Italian football world. You can support whatever team you want, but Buffon is that one player that everyone loves. That's just the basic rule."

 _Basic rule in football: liking this Gigi Buffon guy. Noted._

"So, who's your favorite team from your team then?"

"Bonaventura," Nico said without losing a breath. "Giacomo Bonaventura."

Gods, Will was so tempted to make Nico list the whole squad of his team just to hear Nico pronouncing those Italian names. His accent sounded even more prominent and just… _hot_.

"Oh," Will said. "So… Like… He scores lots of goals?"

Nico snorted. "He doesn't, actually. But scoring goals is not the only thing that makes a player a good one."

"Really?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah. Bonaventura is a midfielder. Instead of scoring the goals, he's the one who…" Nico pulled out his hands that were hidden in his pockets, and started moving them in the air. "He's the one c _reating_ the chances. The one conducting the game in the field. I like him because... he has this vision, you know?" He said, glancing at Will. "He could see where you should pass the ball, he _creates_ the space."

Will was not really sure that he actually understood about it. But he for sure was enjoying the way Nico's face lit up.

"So… Like... He's your favorite player from your team?"

Nico nodded. "And.. Well.. Please don't tell Chiara about this, but there is another player that I also like."

Will chuckled. "And I must not tell Chiara because this guy played for her team, I suppose?"

Nico huffed. "No. That was not the case. So… This guy…. Silva? The David one. David Silva. Because we also have Silva now in my team but it's Andre Silva and he's also good. And come to think about it, even in the club where he's playing now? City? There is another Silva there but it's Bernardo Silva. I saw him play and he also looks promising. But it's David that I am talking about now."

Will added this quite confusing information to his mental list. He needed to look up more information about all of these Silvas guys. Apparently there were three different Silva?

"What about him?"

Nico's lips stretched into a thin line "I think I supposed to hate him because… Well, he's playing for Spain, and he was the first one who scored against Italy in the EURO 2012 final." Nico paused. When he continued, he sounded slightly bitter. "An event that I … kind of missed, you know?"

 _Oh yeah_ , Will thought. _It must be around the time when Nico was stuck in The Lotus Hotel_.

Nico sighed again. "But… I mean, I love the way he played. And now there was this rumor that Milan wanted to buy him and gods I really wish it's true! I want him to play for my team so bad! It's going to be amazing to have him!"

"But he's not playing for your team, right?"

Nico had a small frown as he shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

Will ruffled Nico's hair and laughed. "Let's just hope that the rumor is true, then."

Nico let out another sigh. "Anyway," he said. "I'll see you at dinner?"

"Sure thing, babe." Will leaned down to press a quick kiss on his cheek. "Have fun with the kids!"

Will watched as Nico made his way to the training ground, where he was in charge to teach the younger demigods some sword fighting techniques. When Nico disappeared from his sight, Will slid his hands into his pocket and turned around. His shift in The Infirmary was in 30 minutes, so he still had time to make a quick trip to The Camp Store. He was pretty sure that the Stolls would not have what he wanted in their stock of stuff. But hopefully, a few additional drachmas could do the trick.

 **-o0o-**

Will grinned at Nico when the Italian opened the door of his cabin. Nico raised his eyebrows. "Will? You're early."

"What? You don't like my surprise visit?"

Nico blushed a little as he shook his head. "No. It's just…Unexpected."

Will leaned down to kiss Nico's forehead. "That's the idea of a surprise visit."

Nico rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lips tugged up into a small smile as he tiptoed to kiss Will's cheek.

"Come on in," he said, stepping aside to let Will walk into his cabin. Will turned on his heels once he stepped in. He grinned at Nico who just closed the door.

Nico stared at him, looking half-amused, half-confused.

"What?" he asked. "And what is it that you have behind you?"

Will's grin slung an arm over Nico's shoulder, while keeping the hand that held the package on his back.

"I have something for you," Will said, sing-songly as he guided Nico to his bed.

Nico chuckled but complied as Will pushed him to sit down on the bed. Will sat next to him, still grinning.

"What?" Nico asked again.

Will's grin turned into a soft smile as he pulled his hand from his back, and giving the brown-paper package that he's been holding to Nico.

"Here," he said. "I… I hope you like it."

Nico raised an eyebrow as he took the package from Will. He glanced up at Will, then looked back at the package. "What is it?" he said. He squeezed the package, like he was trying to feel what it was hidden behind the brown paper.

"Well," Will shrugged his shoulders. "Open it."

Will watched carefully as Nico carefully tore the upper part of the package. He could feel his heart beat slightly faster as Nico pulled the stuff inside. And once the thing came to sight, he held his breath, waiting for Nico's reaction.

Nico gasped. He looked up at Will. Then he looked again at the black and red shirt in his hand, still wrapped in a transparent plastic bag. Then he quickly opened the plastic wrap and, unfold the shirt.

"Gods! This is really beautiful!" he said as he held up the AC Milan's jersey in his hand, admiring it.

"Look at the back," Will said.

Nico quickly did what he said. He drew a sharp breath as he saw the number _5_ and the word _Bonaventura_ , printed out neatly in big white letters at the back of the shirt.

"You got me his shirt!" Nico said, half-squealing, still holding up the shirt. "GODS, WILL!"

"Do you like it?"

Nico pulled his hands down so he could meet his eyes. His eyes were twinkling and his cheeks were in this bright colors, and his smile was one of the brightest that Will had ever seen.

"Will… I LOVE IT!" Nico said, and threw himself at Will as he put his arms around Will. "I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!" he said, and kissed Will's cheek.

He pulled back a little and his smile was so bright and beautiful, Will's heart skipped a beat just to see it.

"This, is the best gift, from the best boyfriend!" Nico said, and pressed a kiss on Will's lips.

"Thank you so much!" he said, snuggling himself against Will,

Will laughed and ruffled Nico's hair.

"Wait. I have another surprise for you," Will said.

Nico inhaled sharply as he pulled back from Will. He stared at Will, mouth slightly opened. "What? There's more?"

"Yeah," Will said, nodding.

"What?"

Will pulled his sweater up, taking it off to reveal the shirt that he was wearing.

It was a Milan shirt, exactly the same as what he just gave Nico.

Nico gasped.

"Whose name you got on the back?" Nico asked as he grabbed Will's shoulder and turned him a bit. Nico made a funny little noise when he saw that Will also had Bonaventura's name and number on the back.

"Will!" he said, turning his boyfriend back to face him, and quickly wrapped his arms again around Will.

"THANK YOU THIS IS JUST AWESOME!" he said, voice half-muffled as he was still pressing his face against Will's chest.

"Thank you!" he said again as he looked up at Will, an expression of delight painted all over his face. He pressed another kiss to Will's lips.

"You-," he said, then press a kiss on Will's left cheek.

"Are-" - A kiss on Will's nose

"The best-" a kiss on Wills' right cheek.

"Boyfriend-" a kiss on Will's lips.

"EVER!" A kiss on Will's nose.

Will laughed. He ran his hand up and down Nico's back as Nico snuggled against him.

"I'm happy that you like it," Will said, and kissed the top of Nico's head.

"I love it. And I love you. So much." Nico said, pulled back a bit so he could meet Will's eyes. He pressed another kiss on Will's cheek.

"Thank you so much, Will." Nico said as he rested the side of his head on Will's chest.

"You're welcome, babe," Will said.

For a while, they said nothing, just sharing the warmth through their cuddling.

"So," Will said after a while. "Ready for next week's game? Against _that other_ team?"

Nico grinned as he angled his neck to look up at Will. "So…so… ready!"

"Good. Make sure you wear that shirt on," Will winked at him.

Nico laughed, and even his laughter sounded brighter than usual. Then he placed a hand on Will's chest. There was an almost impish smile on his lips as he looked up at Will, his dark eyes glinted.

"And let me tell you something, Will," he paused, then shifted so he could whisper at Will. "You look so damn good in a football shirt."


End file.
